“You have to be open to learning and prepared to be challenged.” A life-changing project in a South African social start-up.

My name is Catherine, and I study International Management at McGill University, in Montreal, Canada. I decided to participate in the Emzingo Global Impact Fellowship program because I wanted to be an impact-maker. I also wanted to try something different and get out of my comfort zone, rather than getting a traditional internship at home.

I had the chance to work with Alex Art Market (AAM), a start-up boutique that acts as a platform for SMMEs in the arts and crafts sector. It is situated in Alexandra, the oldest township in Jo’burg which has a rich history to offer, but whose residents suffer from high unemployment and an underdeveloped economy. The organization tackles these issues by providing jobs and attracting tourists.

A lot changed in the AAM during our project. Even though it seemed like an impossible mission at first, our team managed to do a lot with very few resources. During the program, we helped the social enterprise develop its business model and marketing strategy, and obtain funding. Following our efforts and advice, our field partners, Tony and Lungelwa, achieved a lot by themselves. They have taken on social media, made new partnerships, applied for funding, enrolled in a business workshop, and initiated a plan for the next phase of the project: a museum. We were mostly there for planning and assistance.

Sometimes I was afraid I was not useful, I was not having the impact I wished for. It took me a while to realize our impact was not limited to the actual tasks we accomplished: we empowered Tony and Lungelwa to grow their own business, and that is the most powerful change we can make. I learned that being a leader is not about credit or title, it is about the impact we have on others.

Working for a start-up enterprise in a disadvantaged area was the best work experience I could have asked for. I definitely got what I wanted: Get out of my comfort zone! Doing this program, you have to be open to learning and prepared to be challenged. This kind of project comes with a number of obstacles, such as a lack of resources, higher barriers, and a completely different culture and lifestyle. We tend to view problems as undesirable; but they pushed me to become more adaptable, open-minded, a better team player and problem solver. As a person who is easily anxious, working for AAM was not always easy; my work was full of surprises, but the experience helped me grow professionally and personally.

The experience as a whole was truly life-changing. Through adversity I discovered my strengths and weaknesses and gained resilience, and through accomplishments I became a lot more confident in myself. This program is for anyone who wants to learn and discover, who wants to make an impact, who is ready for a challenge, who is willing to laugh and cry and rethink everything they know about themselves and the world.

Can I choose wich project to work on?

Like working for most consulting companies, you will not know exactly what project you will be working until you are accepted. Upon acceptance into the program, we typically source twice as many projects as we need so that you can offer us your preferences (rated 1-4). We then look to create teams that balance competencies, skill-sets, work and life experiences, and finally gauge compatibility with your other project partners and your field partner. In the end, you have very much input into the type of organization and project you would like to work on, but we make the final decision. Most fellows do receive their first or second choice and are very happy with their projects. Some schools do require a specific type of project (i.e. only health-based, only nonprofits, only social enterprises) as well, which we can try our best to accommodate.

What kind of projects do you work with? Give some examples.

We source projects that have very different focuses and workstreams. All of our projects are complex in nature, and no student will ever be making copies or just getting coffee. We conduct a needs-based assessment with every organization to discover how and where our fellows can add the most value. Most of our projects are designed to accomplish an organizational idea or goal that they have been unable to implement due to a shortage of human capital Before ranking their projects, students receive detailed terms of references for each project that highlight the exact workstreams and deliverables that they students will be working on in country. During orientation, we also work with each student team to frame their challenge and develop a workplan that outlines exactly what they will be working on for the remainder of the program. Students also receive support from their locally sourced mentor, who is either a consultant or a subject matter expert, who helps them design their projects and oversees their deliverables. Emzingo also checks in every 2-3 weeks to monitor the progress of each project

How do you find the projects and organizations?

When we first started Emzingo, we made a conscious effort to find the best organizations that were having the largest impact in their communities. That group of organizations suggested others who suggested others until we developed a large, impactful cohort of organizations in each country where we work. In some locations, like South Africa, our fellows have become so well known that now organizations come to us first and submit applications for our projects. We work with these organizations year after year and often have different batches of fellows even within the same year. This means that we offer our clients consistent support as well as resources and a strong network to help them implement our students’ recommendations. This also means that students will often have a plethora of resources and findings from past projects that they can build on instead of reinventing the wheel. Our shorter formats programs too, the Impact Learning Treks, often address challenges identified by past fellows who did not have the time or the resources to address it during their fellowship period. Every year, too, we continue to add organizations that are doing tremendous work in the areas that are of the most interest to our students.

How many students do you have in your cohorts?

This depends on the time of the year in the country. Typically cohorts have 10 – 20 students per country. We often require a minimum of 10 students per country to launch that location. If we do not receive that number of confirmed applicants, then we will often redistribute those students to other countries.

Where is your team located?

Emzingo is a very virtual team. We have staff members in all of the locations where we host experiences. These cities include Lima, Rio de Janeiro, Johannesburg, Madrid/Barcelona, and New York/Boston. We were founded at IE Business School in Madrid and that is still where the majority of our staff is based. We run local workshops in Madrid and also host international students to discover the world or social entrepreneurship and innovation in Madrid and Barcelona.

Do you have multi-school cohorts?

Yes, we sure do. We offer university specific programs and open-enrollment programs. Unless otherwise specified, most of our long format programs are open to students from universities all over the world, with applicants from US, Canada, Europe, India, Singapore, Kenya, and more. Most of our long-format programs have students from at least 3 or 4 different universities and at least 4 different nationalities, if not more. For example, we had 17 students in Peru from 13 different countries! We have also established partnerships with universities to send a specific number of students each year on our programs. Our largest partners, IE Business School, McGill, Princeton, and others, typically either fully or partially sponsor the program tuition and living expenses. If your school does not have a direct partnership with Emzingo, we encourage you to explore funding options on and off campus.

How much does the program cost?

As students know, there are many expenses involved in traveling, living, and learning abroad whether for a short or longer term. As a social enterprise ourselves, Emzingo does charge tuition fee for learning & development, coaching, mentoring and program management as well as a housing and logistics fee for our programs. These costs are often either fully or partially covered by the university for our longer-format programs and depend on the type of program and the length of time in country. For the NexGen Consulting Corps, students can elect to find their own accommodation and transportation, reducing the independent cost on the student. This option is not available for our younger undergraduates, since for their safety, we prefer to house them in safe and central locations as a cohort. The projects themselves are also unpaid. If your university is not directly affiliated with Emzingo, we do encourage students to seek out alternative methods of funding both on and off campus. Many students in the past have launched successful crowdfunding campaigns to help fund the experience themselves as well. Please email undergrad@emzingo.com or nexgen@emzingo.com to find out more.

How do I apply? Do you accept all students?

Emzingo has a rigorous application process for our longer format experiences (NexGen and GIF). All students are required to complete an application with several essays, as well as an individual and group interview. These applications can be found online. We do not accept all students that apply, and students are ranked on all three components of their application. Depending on the year and number of applications, we typically have about a 35% – 45% acceptance rate. Our shorter format Impact Learning Treks are often built in conjunction with the university. It is typically up to that university to select the students that are the most excited to learn about social impact and responsible leadership. Students applying from outside universities must also submit an application for these experiences and will be selected based on the quality of their responses.

Where do students live during the programs?

For our shorter-format programs, students live in shared hotels or bed and breakfasts. During our longer-format Global Impact Fellowship and Social Impact Lab, students live in shared apartments or houses in central and safe neighborhoods together as a cohort. We try to stress community building and students are encouraged to share meals, work together, and help others with their projects. Students in our NexGen Consulting Corps are also able to elect their own housing and transport option if they wish, though we typically encourage the Emzingo selected housing.

I am not currently a student, can I still apply?

Though most of our programs are designed for undergraduate or graduate students, recent graduates and young professionals are welcome to apply. The NexGen Consulting Corps in particular is open to young professionals with 3+ years work experience, especially those with consulting experience. Please note that individuals who are not currently in school however, or who have recently graduated, typically do not have access to university funding. They therefore will have to raise or fund their own funding. Some of our programs, like the Professional Women’s Trek, are designed exactly for professionals though students are also welcome to apply.

If I participate, do I need a visa?

The need for a visa will depend on your nationality and where you are traveling. Typically, the most critical pieces of information required for Visa applications are your accommodation information, flight details, and description of what you will be doing. Emzingo can provide information and documentation for your application as necessary, but the student is ultimately responsible for ensuring that the Visa is obtained.

What is the structure of your programs?

GIF, NexGen, SIL Our longer-format programs, the Global Impact Fellowship, NexGen Consulting Corps, and Social Impact Labs, have a similar structure. Each begins with a one-week intensive orientation that exposes students to the main social and economic challenges of the country. Students visit leading nonprofits, social enterprises, and responsible businesses. They also work on framing the challenge for their project and creating a work plan. Here too, we first introduce the leadership development components and deep reflection. NOTE: The Social Impact Lab is an IE Business School program specifically designed for IE students. For the remaining 5-8 weeks, students then work in teams on their social impact consulting project. They work typical 9-5 days, Monday to Thursday. Most Fridays we have ‘Emzingo Days’, where we bring the entire cohort together to attend workshops or visit leading organizations to learn about impact investing, microfinance, business for the bottom of the pyramid, environmental sustainability, social entrepreneurship and more. We also host coaching, reflection, and leadership workshops. Student teams are also encouraged to meet with their mentor every two weeks. Impact Learning Treks (ILTs) Our shorter format programs are typically 5-14 days. They combine academic learning, cultural immersion, and social impact activities and seminars. Participants also partake in a social innovation workshop or mini consulting project to assist a local nonprofit or social enterprise. Prepare yourself – the program is very busy! But you are guaranteed to learn a lot about social impact and yourself.

Where do you host your Impact Learning Treks?

We run Impact Learning Treks in South Africa, Peru, Brazil, Spain, and the United States. Thee 5-14 day trips aim to expose students to social entrepreneurship and innovation in these markets as well as inspire them to find ways to incorporate social impact into their daily lives and careers. All treks include either a Social Innovation Workshop (see below) or a mini consulting project where students can meet and help solve a challenge of a local nonprofit or social enterprise. Impact Learning Treks are co-created and can also have specialized themes such as Engineering for Impact, Environmental Sustainability, and Water and Sanitation amongst others. We have successfully run amazing Impact Learning Treks with students from University of Southern California, IE Business School, Wits University in South Africa, University of Chicago – Booth, University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, and Pacifico University in Peru. Email ILT@emzingo.com to find out more. South Africa: During our South Africa trek, students learn about the history of apartheid and the social and economic challenges that they country is still facing over 20 years later. They visit amazing nonprofits, social enterprises, and responsible businesses that are trying to make a difference in their communities. They also have the opportunity to visit and explore Johannesburg, Soweto, and Cape Town during these treks. Peru: In Peru, students first discover the Shining Path and the terrorist years that engulfed Peru and the after effects they can still be felt today. They meet with wonderful organizations that are looking to improve the sanitation, health, and education systems as well as the lives of underprivileged women. Of course no trip to Peru would be complete without a visit to Cusco, and Machu Picchu, where they also get to meet with social enterprises working in the poorer highland communities. Brazil: Students get to explore Rio de Janeiro and the spiraling favelas of Rocinha just at its border. Here they discover the lingering effects of inequality and explore the social innovation that has emerged to improve the health and education of all Brazilian citizens. They also explore the world of social impact and investment as well as they lovely beaches, music, and culture of course. Spain: Our Social Innovation Trek to Madrid and Barcelona focuses on how business is helping Spain (and Europe) recover from one of the most profound economic crisis of our generation. In Madrid, meet impact investors and start-up incubators that are promoting entrepreneurship as the path towards recovery. See first-hand how history, culture, and tradition have deeply affected business and society. In Barcelona, a center of innovation and technology, learn from professionals who are using social impact and entrepreneurship to make real changes. See how a center for social innovation drives networks and collaboration across sectors. Study different businesses (and different business models) to see how they are directly combating social injustice. USA: During our trip to the US, students get to explore New York and/or Boston. Here they discover that despite its outer core, the United States still has many societal challenges that they are trying to overcome including urban poverty, inequality, gun violence, and injustice. Students learn about these issues but also discover the incredible hub of social entrepreneurship and innovation that these cities have become. They meet social entrepreneurs and responsible businesses that are looking to right some of these wrongs, both locally and internationally. With visits to the UN, the Center for Social Innovation, and the growing B-Corps movement, they are exposed to several avenues of creating positive social impact.

What is a Social Innovation Workshop?

Inspired by IDEO’s Human-Centered Design, and Design-Thinking Methodology Emzingo has translated these principles into a consulting methodology. The workshop introduces participants to human-centered concepts and tools, and provides the opportunity to apply them through interactive exercises. The workshop is the culmination of a series of days focused on experiential learning and the application of Human Centered Consulting, Design Thinking, and Theory U principles. The Social Innovation Workshop leverages Emzingo’s Impact Design Diamond™ and integrates these different methodologies to develop creative and relevant solutions for our field partners. The experience is complemented with facilitated reflection to internalize the learning from the workshop. We wrap up the session with a debrief in which participants will be asked to reflect on the experience and discuss ways to improve collaboration within their teams.

Can I earn credit for your programs?

Many of our programs, both short and long format, are offered for credit at the host university. This is highly dependent on each university and Emzingo works with university staff to establish the credit options. Several universities offer internship credit for our GIF and NexGen programs and others offer international exchange credits for our Impact Learning Treks.